James Koskiniemi (born February 16, 1977) is an American chef and food writer. He is a writer for the Culinarian Magazine and is also the co-founder of The Pig and The Pickle. He previously served as the Executive Chef of The Bellevue Club and served two terms as President of the Board of Directors of the ACF.

Early life and education

When Koskiniemi was six years old, he won first place in a men's cooking competition and a culinary award from Alice Waters. At an early age, he was introduced to traditional French cooking by his father who studied under Master Chef Ken Wolfe, and baking from his mother. Koskiniemi has an Associate of Occupational Studies in

Le Cordon Bleu Le Cordon Bleu (French for " The Blue Ribbon") is an international network of hospitality and culinary schools teaching French ''haute cuisine''. Its educational focuses are hospitality management, culinary arts, and gastronomy. The instituti ...

degree from the

California Culinary Academy The California Culinary Academy (CCA) was a for-profit school, and an affiliate of Le Cordon Bleu located in San Francisco, California. Danielle Carlisle established the school in 1977 to train chefs using the European education model. The origina ...

in San Francisco, California.

Career

In June 2007, Koskiniemi was invited by the Adopt-a-Ship Program as a Chef Instructor on the Navy's to train traditional techniques and help oversee the production of over 1200 meals per day. He appeared on the cover of the February 2008 issue of the Culinarian Magazine. He served as the youngest President and Director of the San Francisco Chefs Association. In 2010, he was the recipient of the San Francisco Chefs Association ''Chef of the Year'' award. On October 17, 2010, Koskiniemi won first place for preparing at the 10th annual Crabby Chef competition held at Spengers Fish Grotto in Berkeley, California. He repeated his victory a year later at the final Crabby Chef competition with Crab and Corn Beignets with a Ginger Honey Ver Jus. Chef James made an appearance on an episode of the Food Network Show Restaurant: Impossible. He works with several local charities such as the Special Olympics, NFL Alumni For Kids, East Bay Agency for Children, and Raphael House. He was auctioned off in 2012 for over $30,000 at the Raphael House Gala in May 2012. In September 2014, he became chef and co-founder of The Pig and The Pickle at Ale Industries Marketplace.

Publications

* Koskiniemi, James. Sip and a Taste''http://sfchefs.org/august07.pdf''. * Koskiniemi, James. Sip and a Taste''http://sfchefs.org/sept07.pdf''. * Koskiniemi, James. Presidents Page''http://sfchefs.org/Feb08.pdf''. * Koskiniemi, James. Presidents Page''http://sfchefs.org/Mar08.pdf''. * Koskiniemi, James. Presidents Page''http://sfchefs.org/Apr08.pdf''.

References

* Burrell, Jackie. "http://www.mercurynews.com/entertainment/ci_27337770/review-concords-pig-pickle-is-charmer". * Koskiniemi, James. ''http://www.chefjamessf.com''. * Serda, Clyde. ''http://sfchefs.org//Jan08.pdf''. * Smith, Erin. ''http://sfchefs.org/Feb08.pdf''. * Harris, Robert. ''http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=30878''. * Harris, Robert. ''http://www.militarychef.com/1A/1_Sections/News/News_Navy/NewsNavy070730.html''. * Harrants, Michael. ''http://www.mageesbakeryfarm.com/articles/page.asp?articleid=7515''. * Cobb, Cassey. ''http://academiewines.com/content/chef-james-koskiniemi''. * Rufus, Anneli. ''http://www.eastbayexpress.com/92510/archives/2010/10/17/croquettes-with-kiwifruit-foam-win-berkeley-cooking-contest''.

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Koskiniemi, James 1977 births Living people American chefs American male chefs American restaurateurs Writers from Portland, Oregon Cuisine of the San Francisco Bay Area American food writers Chefs from San Francisco